My new life in Hell

(Charlie POV)

Vaggie and I were sitting inside the limo with Stygian, and he wasn't happy. He hadn't looked at me once the entire ride. Vaggie tried talking to him, but he just gave her the cold shoulder.

The whole ride back was awkward. He didn't say a word—just stared out the window at the carnage from this year's extermination.

When we finally reached the hotel, we stepped out of the limo and went inside. Stygian didn't say a word—he just went straight up to the roof, clearly wanting nothing to do with us.

I felt terrible. I just wanted to show everyone that the hotel isn't just a place for redemption—it's a chance to start over. A fresh beginning. And I screwed it up... because I let my anger get the better of me.

I slumped onto the couch next to Vaggie.

"You okay, hun?" she asked gently.

"Not really… I messed up big, Vaggie. Stygy's really mad at me. I don't know what to do—he's never been this upset before."

"Yeah, we both messed up. I could've stopped you from making a scene... from turning Katy into a puddle. But I didn't. I just stood there and watched you enjoy hurting her for disrespecting Stygy."

"I should've been better. The whole point of the hotel is redemption. Second chances. And I couldn't even give her that chance to grow."

We sat in silence for a while, lost in our thoughts, wishing we'd handled things differently.

Then, from the kitchen, we heard the sound of life—pots clanging, laughter, voices. Curious, we got up and followed the noise. Inside, we saw Angel cooking with Plagg and Beth.

Plagg flew around like a maniac, adding cheese to literally everything. Beth was sitting at a table, crushing tomatoes into paste. Angel? He was doing pretty much everything else.

"Oh hey, girls!" Angel called out. "Dinner's almost ready. Go ahead and take a seat—I'm serving up some spaghetti al pomodoro!"

We nodded gratefully and sat down. A few minutes later, Angel brought out four plates—one for each of us—and placed the last one aside for Beth and Plagg.

We took a bite, and it was amazing.

"Wow, Angel," I said, wide-eyed. "This is really good!"

"Thanks, toots. My sister taught me how to make it when we were kids."

"You have a sister?"

"Yup. Had a lot of siblings."

"Why don't you ever talk about them?"

He paused. "We're… not exactly on speaking terms. Not since I left the family."

"Why'd you leave?"

"I... don't really like talking about it."

"That's okay, Angel. You don't have to."

He gave a small smile, and we continued eating. Afterward, we cleaned up and moved to the hotel lobby. It was quiet—most of the tenants were in their rooms.

Angel suddenly noticed something… missing.

"Hey, Princess. Where's the big guy? He's usually here fixing stuff or showing off that majestic ass of his."

Vaggie narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk about him like that. And no, we're not on speaking terms right now… not after today."

"Ohhh, you mean when Princess went full psycho and turned Katy into a puddle? Hah! That stuck-up bitch had it coming!"

"As funny as you think that was, Angel," I said, "we really messed up. Stygian doesn't like senseless violence. That interview was supposed to show Hell the hotel is safe—now they probably think we're just a bunch of psychos who lash out when we're mad."

Angel shrugged. "To be fair, most of Hell probably loved watching you tear Katy a new one."

Vaggie sighed and sat next to me.

"You feeling any better, hun?"

"Yeah… just thinking of what to say to him later."

"Don't worry, babe. Stygian's not the type to stay angry forever."

I smiled and hugged her tightly.

After a moment, I stood and walked outside, pulling out my phone. I dialed Mom, hoping—like always—that she'd answer.

Of course… she didn't.

I sighed and left a voicemail.

"Hey, Mom. It's me again. I… I don't know what to do. Everything I've dreamed of is here, but the man who helped me make it real... he's mad at me. I messed up, Mom. He did everything for me, and I ruined it."

"Please, Mom… I really need help. I don't know what to do. Maybe… maybe Dad was right about me."

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Okay… good talk, Mom."

I hit send, wiped my tears, and went back inside. I leaned against the door—then suddenly, someone knocked. I jumped, startled.

Slowly, I opened the door.

"Hey, Mom!"

It was Geri. He pulled me into a hug, and I hugged him back.

"Hey, baby. What are you doing here? I thought you had work?"

"Well, I saw the news and figured you could use a friend. Maybe some help—like old times."

"Ahh, that's sweet."

As I hugged him tighter, I noticed someone standing behind him… Levi.

"Hey… Charlie."

I let go of Geri and walked toward her.

"Um… hi, Miss Leviathan. Why are you here?"

"Just came to check on how you're doing… and to make sure my boyfriend is safe."

"Boyfriend?"

"Levi! You promised you wouldn't tell her until I was ready!"

"Oh, please, love. She would've found out eventually. Not like it matters—you're mine anyway."

"Wait, you're dating Leviathan? When did this happen?!"

"Well," Geri said, scratching the back of his head, "we met during a mission in Korea. She was at a karaoke bar and invited me to join her. Things… just kinda went from there."

"I love Korean food and music," Leviathan added, pinching his cheek. "Imagine my surprise when this adorable puppy fell from the roof and landed right in my lap. So romantic."

I blinked, still processing. Then I smiled and invited them in. Leviathan finally stopped pinching Geri's cheek and followed us inside, chatting the whole way about how goofy he was when they started dating—how he didn't know what to do on dates, but she found it all incredibly adorable.

We eventually settled into the hotel lounge. I asked one of the staff to prepare some food and another to call Stygian to come down and greet Leviathan.

When he arrived, he wore his usual outfit and bowed respectfully to her. They chatted for a bit, even joked around—it felt like old times again.

Eventually, Leviathan and Geri had to leave since it was getting late. She picked him up bridal style, summoned a portal to her room, and carried him through it.

The portal disappeared, and I was left standing beside Stygian. He stared at the spot where they had been.

I turned toward him, nervous.

"Hey… Stygy, I'm really sorry about today. I don't know what came over me, and I—"

Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could finish.

But then, to my surprise, Stygian hugged me.

"It's alright, Charlie," he said softly. "I was just really mad and didn't want to take it out on you. I know you mean well. But you've got to control your temper. Your dream can't happen if you scare off potential tenants, now can it?"

He gave a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

I laughed a little through my tears and hugged him tighter, feeling the weight finally lift off my chest.

"But," he added, "you and Vaggie do need to be punished for not doing better."

"I understand. So… what is it?"

"No sex. For two months."

I blinked. "What?!"

"Ah-ah-ah," he smirked, already walking away. "Both of you are grounded. Suck it up, babe."

He disappeared back into the hotel.

I stood there in stunned silence.

Then screamed at the top of my lungs—

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"